On the eve of ‘Halloween: H20’s’ release, distributor Dimension Films wonders . . . : Will Lightning Strike Twice?

Could Dimension Films--the hot genre division of Walt Disney-owned Miramax Films--have another “Scream” on its hands?

An early test screening of the teen horror film “Halloween: H20,” which debuts nationwide Wednesday, prompted the New York-based independent distributor to move its planned holiday release into the highly competitive summer dominated by big studio movies. It also prompted several major distributors to move their respective films off the Aug. 5 date to get out of “Halloween’s” way.

The movie, directed by Steve Miner, was tested two months ago in Secaucus, N.J., “and the numbers were equal to ‘Scream,’ ” Dimension chief Bob Weinstein said. So he decided to move the release up “to take advantage of the summer playing time.”

Weinstein recalled people’s surprise when he went against convention and opened both the 1996 horror film “Scream” and its 1997 sequel in the month of December. That’s the month studios normally trot out their more serious, adult-oriented films in hopes of attracting Oscar attention.

Such counter-programming has often paid off well for distributors over the years. Weinstein is banking on it working for “Halloween: H20.” In the sequel, Jamie Lee Curtis reprises the role she played 20 years ago in John Carpenter’s classic chiller about psycho killer Michael Meyers.

“Scream,” which cost $15 million, became a phenomenon among teen moviegoers, grossing $103 million in the United States and another $70-million-plus overseas. “Scream 2” was hugely profitable for Dimension as well. The sequel cost just $20 million and took in more than $100 million domestically and more than $55 million internationally.

The “Scream” movies--along with last year’s surprise hit “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” which grossed more than $100 million worldwide--represent a new generation of teen horror movies that have rejuvenated the genre and done big box-office business both here and abroad. Much of the appeal of these films comes from the popularity of the casts, which draw heavily from hit TV shows. “Halloween: H20” also stars Adam Arkin (“Chicago Hope”), Michelle Williams (“Dawson Creek”) and pop icon LL Cool J (“In the House”).

Reluctant to predict “Halloween: H20’s” potential and risk embarrassment should the film fail to live up to expectations (remember Sony’s “Godzilla”), Weinstein simply said, “With its budget and marketing costs, if this movie grosses $50 million, it would be like a studio movie grossing $150 million.”

“Halloween: H20” cost $17 million to produce and will cost an additional $15 million to $20 million to market, according to sources.

The original “Halloween” was distributed by a small company that could afford to make only a handful of prints; it cost $300,000, took 22 days to shoot and grossed $47 million domestically. It was the most successful film in the series.

The most recent sequel, “Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Meyers,” released by Miramax in 1995, cost $7 million, grossed about $15 million in the United States and brought in another $7 million in video sales.

“Halloween: H20”--the seventh in the series--is being positioned not as the next sequel but as a follow-up to the original and as an homage to the 20th anniversary of the franchise.

“It’s a return to the classic, scary movie,” said Weinstein, who credited Curtis as the one who, two years ago, came up with the idea of doing an anniversary “Halloween” for Dimension, which had acquired the worldwide rights to the franchise in 1994.

While filming “Virus” for Universal Pictures in North Carolina, Curtis was introduced to “Scream” writer Kevin Williamson by Miner, who had directed her and Mel Gibson in the 1992 Warner Bros. romantic period drama, “Forever Young.” Miner and Williamson were in North Carolina working together on the pilot of “Dawson’s Creek.”

Miner, currently on location in Vancouver, Canada, filming the action-thriller “Lake Placid” for Phoenix Pictures/20th Century Fox, recalled, “Thirty seconds after I introduced Jamie and Kevin, they started talking about doing the [‘Halloween’] sequel.” When Carpenter decided not to be involved, Miner said, Curtis called and asked him to direct and work with her and Williamson, who was co-executive producer on the sequel.

“I loved the first ‘Halloween,’ ” said Miner. “It was so flat-out scary that I wondered at the time why I would subject myself to that level of fear . . . masochistic, I guess.”

The 50-year-old director, who’s enjoyed a successful career working in both features and television, said the original “Halloween” and “Psycho,” which is also being remade (by director Gus Van Sant), are his two favorite horror films of all time.

He said it was particularly thrilling to work with Curtis and her famous mother, actress Janet Leigh (of “Psycho” fame) in the same movie. Leigh has a cameo as the school secretary in “Halloween: H20.”

Miner himself helped launch two successful thriller franchises--the highly lucrative “Friday the 13th” series and the “House” series. He produced the first “Friday” movie and directed the first two sequels, and also directed “House” for New World, which spawned two theatrical sequels and one straight-to-video release.

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CINEMATIC HOMAGE: “Halloween: H20” brings the horror franchise full circle. F1